Goddess Demeter and her Mates

Goddess Demeter and her Mates

One of Demeter's great loves was the agricultural hero Iasion. The couple mated in the island of Crete, in a field that was plowed three times, and brought the Greek god Plutus and the demi-god Philomelos into existence. Plutus became the god who symbolized earthly wealth, and Philomelos became famous for inventing the plough, a tool used in farming.

According to a myth, Zeus, the King of the Gods, killed Iasion for his impudence to lay with a goddess. After that, he managed to seduce Demeter himself and the couple brought Persephone to the world. Persephone would later on become abducted by the Greek god Hades to the Underworld and become the Queen of the Underworld.

Poseidon, the Greek god of the Seas, also approached Demeter to lay with her and bring fertility to earth with his wet elements. Demeter tried to avoid the god by turning herself into a mare, but Poseidon then took the form of a stallion and captured her. From their union, Demeter gave birth to two children: the stallion Arion, god of the horses, and Despoena, the goddess of fruit.